Trial set for Warrenton man who allegedly gave alcohol to teen killed in accident

A trial date has been set for a Warrenton man who allegedly provided alcohol to a teen who died in January after running onto U.S. Highway 101.

Richard Edward Reinsch, 48, allegedly gave alcohol to Trevor Secord, 15, the night he was struck and killed by a pickup truck just north of Gearhart.

Reinsch was charged in August with two counts of furnishing alcohol to a person under 21, with one of the counts stemming from a separate case. He pleaded not guilty at the time. At a hearing Thursday, a trial date was set for May.

Reinsch has been convicted twice for burglary and once for driving under the influence of intoxicants.

In late January, after a night of drinking, Secord got out of a vehicle parked on the shoulder and started running in the middle of the highway near milepost 17, Oregon State Police said. He was pronounced dead soon after emergency personnel responded to the crash.

Secord’s family demanded an investigation into who provided alcohol to the former Warrenton High School football player.

Brenda McKune, Secord’s grandmother, said he and other Warrenton teens have regularly hung out with adults who buy alcohol for them. She said she reported issues to police about 10 times in the last two to three years but came away from the discussions feeling disappointed.

“Too many people are afraid to stand up and protect our children,” McKune said. “This whole thing is sickening to me.”

Despite her complaints, she said Warrenton police repeatedly told her their investigations would be much easier if the teenagers reported the alleged crimes themselves. Police must have probable cause and a search warrant before entering a home to check for underage drinking unless given permission by the occupant.

“Catching it happening in the process is very difficult,” Warrenton Police Chief Mathew Workman said.

McKune last saw her grandson at a grocery store just hours before he died. He was purchasing orange juice, which she now believes he was attempting to mix with Everclear — a highly potent brand of grain alcohol.

Once again, McKune reported her concerns to police. Secord died, as his grandmother recalls, 3 hours and 12 minutes after she made the complaint.

Months later, McKune is still concerned about a culture in which adults supply alcohol to Warrenton teenagers. For weeks after Secord’s death, residents tended a memorial outside the Warrenton Post Office. In addition to flowers, sports gear and a silhouette of Secord, some also left alcohol, McKune said.

“We want to shed a light on this,” McKune said. “We want other people to avoid the same grief that we’re going through.”